“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
We will often hit a bump in the road. How do we interpret that bump in the road? Do we press on? Or is it a sign that maybe we should consider a different course? Either way, it takes discernment from God.
Sometimes pride will cause us to push through to places we are not led to go. The opposite of pride is fear that will cause us to give up on our destination at the sign of the first little obstacle.
Why do we fear? I am convinced the greatest thing we fear is the unknown. We fear what may happen, but we are not sure of what that might be. We worry that we might fail. We worry that we might be ridiculed. We worry we might not have enough to support ourselves.
Dave Ramsey proposes that when you face a difficult situation, you should play out the worst case scenario mentally. Think it through. Ask what is the worst possible outcome. What would be the consequence if I failed at a new venture? What would happen if I was ridiculed by others? What would happen if I didn’t have enough to support myself?
It is not likely that the worst outcome will play out in real life. But through this mental exercise, you realize, that while the worst case scenario may not be pleasant, you can live through it. In on odd sort of way, it gives you comfort to know the worst case. You will know you can fail and you will be alright. You can fail, and God will still love you. You can fail, and you will have people who will befriend you and love you. You can fail and have the ability to try again.
Life is filled with risk. And if we are to live – really live – it will mean we will fail from time to time. The courage to live is the courage to fail. It is the experience of failure that makes us stronger and helps us grow to accomplish more for the kingdom.
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